


Coming Home (Part 3) Acts of Violence

by PhenomenalBrat



Series: COMING HOME [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: CatCo Worldwide Media, Clark Kent as Superman, Discussion on Racism, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Minor Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Minor Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Newspaper article's, Original Character(s), Police Violence, Police bashing, Social Commentary, Traumatic Experience, mildly Alternative Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28607349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhenomenalBrat/pseuds/PhenomenalBrat
Summary: Jumping a few years into the past..In the wake of violent and brutal polite actions to put down peaceful protesters, James explains his journalist decision to condemn them, to Kara as they lay in bed.
Relationships: James/Original Character, Kara Danvers/James "Jimmy" Olsen
Series: COMING HOME [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090922
Kudos: 1





	Coming Home (Part 3) Acts of Violence

**Author's Note:**

> Author Notes: Black men are rarely allowed to be angry or sad or complex in media or real life. With James we had an opportunity for complexity and background that was in my opinion squandered for the purpose of uplifting "Cape tricks" or reducing him to a forced "no homo" prop for diversity points without actually taking a chance to utilize the character. 
> 
> Author's notes 2: In a corporation setting generally there is a preponderance of whiteness and upper middle class ideas even in the most liberal settings. It takes great fortitude as a Black person to break status quo in that setting.

I couldn't sleep. Actually that wasn't true, I could have slept but my brain would not let me. I was itching with both certainty and uncertainty. Kara's head rested against my chest as I lay there. Her eyes were closed but I know she was awake. I was waiting for her to ask what she was obviously thinking.

"James?" Kara finally spoke.

"It's the right stance to take." I cut straight to the point, trying to avoid speaking too much on the subject. It was hard enough to think let alone speak.

Kara shifted a bit. Her naked thigh rubbed against mine under the blanket. "What about-"

"Kara-" I could feel myself sighing. The new edition of the paper would go out in the morning, condemning National City Police Department's attack of the protesters in the wake of Thomas Rivers death. How could I even begin to explain the swing in feelings I had gone through at my desk when presented with the option. I had often tried so hard not to rock the boat.

**. . . .**

**(12 hours ago)-James office at CatCo**

_ "Mister Olsen?" My new secretary, Barbara called my name.  _

_ I had been reading over a report for the past 20 minutes and time had gotten away from me. On the TV in the background the news station was playing a replay of the Thomas Rivers tape. _

_ "It'll just be a minute." _

_ She nodded. _

_ Listening to this news report again was painful. I had been desperate avoiding looking over at the screen. I tried to let it be background noise as I read over very tactful articles the writers had proposed.  _

_ "I-I can't breathe." Thomas Rivers' voice played over the recording. It was an amateur video that was shot on a cellphone. The newspaper had acquired it from the 17 year old girl who filmed the whole thing. _

_ A cop knelt with his knee pressed to Thomas' neck while another cop near by chuckled. Thomas lay prune on the ground, cuffed and defensely _

_ There was the sound of people yelling. "Stop! Get off of him." _

_ The whole thing was like a horror show. My eyes were trapped as I looked at the screen. I could feel myself being reflected back at me, in Thomas' beated form. The video just went on and on and on. It was 10 while minutes of torture.  _

_ I finally looked away from the screen to finish evaluating Murphy's article. He had kept it neutral like I asked. No mention was made of the man that the newly militarized police force shoved into the ground or the protest clashing with armed cops who had fired rubber bullets. The indefinable looting had been glossed over. The piece was effectively empty and dry by crisp. _

_ I moved it aside. The last 5 proposals had been largely the same. I knew what the problem was. I hit the buzzer to page Barbara. _

_ "Mister Olsen." _

_ "Cancel the scheduled meeting with the other staff. _

_ "Sir?"  _

_ "I-I need to take care of something." I endeavored to be vague. _

_ Barbara nodded and stepped out of the room. I looked at my laptop and opened the word document page. I had something to say. _

__ **. . . .**

**(Present)**

"James...you- you watched it again?" Kara pulled in tighter. Her voice was awash with concern for me.

I could feel the tears that I had been holding in for weeks, stinging my eyes. "I had to."

"James-"

"No. Kara, please listen to me." I paused trying to keep my frustration in check less I let it leak out at my lover. " Do you know what people see, when they see us together?"

"A handsome man and a beautiful woman?"

"I'm a Black man."

She was quiet for a second. "James, I know-"

"They see a pretty innocent blonde being touched by some predatory Black guy. That's the truth. They see me and see a crime." I felt bad for dropping this truth on her like this and I could feel the truth threatening to release tears, I did not want to shed.

"I don't care what other people think. "

How I wished I could afford not to care. "Kara, I'm just one bad day away from being Thomas Rivers. I- I can't even explain what that feels like."

She shifted in the bed to sit up and look at me. "James, you're not-"

"Kara, I almost was him just a few years ago...or, I guess quite a few years go." I sighed.

"James, wha-"

"That's why I had to do this." I wanted so badly to make her understand. 

She effortlessly rearranged our position and I found myself being held, becoming the little spoon in our naked embrace. The tears I had held back earlier, flowed freely in a way that might have been embarrassing where I laying with anyone but my Kara. 

**. . . .**

**(11 years ago)**

_ There's nothing more stressful than running late, especially to a first day at a new job. Perry White had apparently been impressed enough by Sam Smith's recommendations, that my dream job was finally mine. Were it not for the fact that I needed to cross 26 blocks in the speed of 10 minutes flat, this would not have been a problem. _

_ Foolishly, the idea came to me. 'Just take the shortcut' but even as I considered it, I knew it was foolish, especially at this hour. The rush hour traffic of pedestrians and cars made it tempting though. I could by pass so much blockage by going through one of the worst neighborhoods in Metropolis.  _

_ I turned on Mulberry instead of going straight and ran right into the frey. It was my only chance to be on time. _

__ **. . . .**

_ I was running through the area as fast as possible, not wanting to be caught lingering there.  _

**Trigger Warning: upcoming microaggressions, racism and assault on a Black man ( James)by the police.**

_ I had been running for about 6 blocks when I heard the yell from behind me.  _

_ "Halt! Freeze!" Drop your weapon. " _

_ Within thirty seconds I was being tackled to the ground from behind. I barely was able to somewhat gentle my fall as I tried to regain some sense of the space around me and figure out what was happening.  _

_ "Wait." _

_ "I've got him." The cop on top of me was yelling back at his partner. He moved to cuff me on the ground. "Jamal Davis! You're under arrest." _

_ "Wait, I'm not-" _

_ "Shut up boy. I recognize your black ass from your photo!" He hissed out his words like a curse. His leg pressed into my back as he bore his weight down on top of me. I felt crushed, like I was being strangled.  _

_ "I can't-" I attempted to inhale air under the added weight of a grown man pressing me into the ground. _

_ "Don't move! Stop resisting!" The cop yelled this illogical command. _

_ I was cuffed, faced down and being sat on, yet still treated as a tangible threat after being jumped from behind. I could hear the sound of the other officer standing near by and his next words chilled my veins.  _

_ "Stop moving! We will shoot you!" The sound of his gun cocking was made clear to my ears. "Check him!" The second cop addressed the first cop.  _

_ "Where have you hidden the money?! Where is it?!" _

_ I had no clue what they were talking about. Noone would listen though. If I died like this, in this street, my mom…  _

__ **. . . .**

_ A loud, fast blur of something rattled the walls and ground around me and out of seemingly nowhere, the weight on top of me lifted. _

_ "Superman!"  _

_ "Officers, I've apprehended the Serial bank Robber. There was a crashing sound and the sound of something hitting the police car. I couldn't quite see what was happening from my position on the ground.  _

_ "Help-" I weazed _

_ I heard the officers, moving away, toward the car before Supermans' voice spoke again. "Officers. Haven't you forgotten something. " He sounded like he was scolding a misbehaving child. A moment later, I was being uncuffed. The officer seemed almost begrudging as he removed the Police cuffs, stood and backed away. I remained lying there, humiliated, in pain and angry. A boil of disgust burned in my gut along with the knowledge that I had probably failed and lost my job now. I was at least 30 minutes late. _

_ "Are you alright?"  _

_ It took me a moment to realize Superman was talking to me. He knelt down and helped me get up onto my knees. " No. Not really." I hated making that admission.  _

_ He rested a conciliatory hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at the police car and this man they had mistaken me for.  _

_ I should not have done that. It only made things worse. The man they had now, was at least 4 inches shorter than me. He was wiry and thin. His hair was in cornrolls, whereas I had shaved mine down. His skin was also quite a bit lesser hued than mine. He had a tone that I would describe as light salted caramel. Aside from us both being Black men, there was no similarity between us. The cops had simply decided to select any random Black man. If it hadn't been me, it could have been anyone. That in itself was a whole different kind of humiliation and dehumanization. I knew better than to cry though. _

_ I felt the tension and stress roll through my body.  _

_ "Here. I'll give you a lift." Superman sounded so sincere. It was the only assurance I could expect; the slimmest, most bare restoration of my dignity supposedly was there, and perhaps I could still salvage this job too. _

**. . . .**

**(Present)**

"James. I- I'm so sorry. "

I couldn't respond for a moment. The memory of that incident still left a bitter burn on my mouth. Even after I had finally gotten some minor vindication a few months later when I snapped the shot of a Superman apprehending those cops, after discovering they were secretly members of that xenophobic cult, the memory still chafed. " _ Good work Olsen,"  _ were Perry's words after I handed him the picture. I didn't bother to mention all the work that had gone into getting it. I remembered swallowing my personal thoughts on the matter as I masked my face with professionalism.

"They got what they had coming eventually." 

Kara Inhaled deeply at my words but made no chastisement. She simply held me tighter. Perhaps that was what I needed most of all. I forgot how much I just wanted to be held sometimes. 

**. . . .**

We had been laying there for about 20 minutes, when she spoke again. "I trust you to make the right choice...for you...and for Catco. "

"I'm only using the platform I've been given to say something that I should have said before."

"A time for everything…" Kara whispered it so quietly. I was surprised that I heard it at first.

It occured to me then, that once this new paper was out not only would the condemnation of the police be there but I will have effectively "come out" so to speak, as pro Black. It was funny cause I was Black but this was a conscious choice to "BE" black and stand in the pain and complexity that could create. With a job like mine, that was always a risk. I had always tried to not rock the boat. Since day one, I had found safety in knowing when to hold my thoughts. This was a leap forward. I had seen some soulless, "both sides," takes from a few other Newspapers, afraid to speak up. I couldn't take that and my own memories.

"I love you. You know that right?" Kara's voice broke the stillness of the room.

"I know." I did know too. Every sign she gave me said so. We had an ease and understanding and connection, I could hardly put into words. That had given me the energy I needed to do what I had. I was ready for whatever response came my way. My Auntie had always said,  _ " if life knocks, you stand up and be the man I raised you to be. Don't you make me get my belt…" _

**. . . .**

**( 3 years later)**

I stared down at a note from Kelly. There was a picture from her and Alex' visit to Washington DC. Kara and Lena had gone with them on a couples getaway trip. My heart felt a warm kinda contentment as I thought about how happy they all were. They had made it through just before the outrageous riots that Max Lord had managed to insight. The xenophobic rhetoric he had managed to infect the capital with during his ill timed run for senator and subsequent lost to half human/half alien new dubbed " Senator bae" Bariem Ophelmen, had been an interesting sight. 

I had been working out how to describe and detail the riots for my newspaper. In some ways it was both relief and a jump into the unknown to be without Catco and holding my own in this way.

"James?" Serene stepped into my office, interrupting my thoughts. 

"Babe."

"It's late."

She was right. It was pushing 7:30. Most of the staff had gone home already. "I'm just gonna be a-"

"A little longer?" She crossed the room, walking around my desk to perch herself on my lap.

"Babe…"

"I know. You're seeking the right truth babe." She went quiet for a moment and it gave me a chance to appreciate the way she seemed to read my mind. "I love that about you."

"I know I promised to sleep more. I just- if I don't give a voice to those being hurt, then who will?"

Serene leaned in to hug me. "Just be safe love."

Sometimes that felt impossible to do. As a Black man, even speaking could be an act of violence; Never the lest I persisted because it was all that I could do.

**FIN**

Thank you for reading. Please leave Questions, comments, constructive criticism or Kudos.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's notes: I'm not particularly a fan of Mehcad ( The actor who portrayed James) for various reasons. The character of James was fundamentally hampered and disserviced in season 2 and used as a no homo prop in season 3, and effectively wasted pointless. There was a lot of untapped potential to explore topics in cohesive tactful ways, and the writing missed the opportunity to do so in my opinion. The particular subject covered in this section of the 'Coming Home' series was particularly timely and I hope some understanding and lessons are imparted there. 
> 
> -BJ


End file.
